The Walker Art Center is cutting its operating budget by 8 percent in the coming fiscal year (from $19.1 million to $17.6 million) and eliminating nine positions.

The Walker says the cutbacks are due to the recession’s impact on the museum’s endowment, earned income and charitable contributions, which are flat or in decline.

The Walker didn’t specify which positions were being eliminated, but a spokesperson says they span the institution, including programming and support staff. In a prepared statement, the Walker’s director Olga Viso says

“The Walker will continue to provide a robust, ambitious, and innovative level of programming that highlights new partnerships across the institution. We will continue to advance the Walker’s artistic mission and serve our community even following these reductions.”

The Walker also announced that Viso will give back 10 percent of her salary and benefits in the upcoming fiscal year. The layoffs amount to 6 percent of the Walker’s total workforce.

About the blogger

Chris Roberts is an arts and culture reporter for MPR News. He has worked at Minnesota Public Radio as a reporter, producer and host since 1989. From 1999 to 2003, Roberts created and hosted MPR’s weekly arts program, “Word of Mouth,” hosted The Current’s “The Local Show,” a weekly hour long program devoted to local music.